ciaochatting.co.uk

...easier than that. Just type Ciaochatting.co.uk into your browser, and take the trip of a lifetime into another little world, where the natives are friendly, and you’re allowed to be yourself, no matter what level of technical wizardry you understand. The road is a simple one.

JOINING UP

Well imagine that you go into a room full of friends. It’s easy to talk because you know the people. Well, in Ciaochatting, its pretty ...
...recognise and even if you are a new person to ciao will be greeted with the same kind of welcome that any other user is, and if you know no-one, it’s the kind of site where you soon will.

Joining up is simple. You register giving an email address and your ciao name, or any other name if you want to be a little anonymous, though I found it helpful to stick to who I am there, because people know me.

OK YOU’RE A MEMBER ... more

I have been a member of Ciao.co.uk for just over a year, and one of the features that I feel is missing from a site that purports to encourage a community is a place for people to go and be with other members. Sure, there is the Ciao café, but its not the kind of café where people gather, nor would you get served a coffee and be able to chat together, although for Ciao, I guess it’s the nearest that they want to come to us being able to have a laugh and enjoy each others company. After all, café reviews tend to bring out the human being in us, and are rated and commented on, and its kind of like conversation, but stinted.

Actually in many ways, I am now grateful that they didn’t make a café where people could gather because had they done this, I would never have discovered Ciaochatting.co.uk, a site made by a young couple who thought it would be nice to give Ciao and Dooyoo users a place to call theirs.

GETTING THERE.

The ride that takes you to ciaochatting is easier than the local café. For the local café, you have to go outside, rain or shine, take a bus, drive, or simply walk in the rain and even then there may be no one there to talk to. Getting to ciaochatting is easier than that. Just type Ciaochatting.co.uk into your browser, and take the trip of a lifetime into another little world, where the natives are friendly, and you’re allowed to be yourself, no matter what level of technical wizardry you understand. The road is a simple one.

JOINING UP

Well imagine that you go into a room full of friends. It’s easy to talk because you know the people. Well, in Ciaochatting, its pretty much the same really. You may see names that you recognise and even if you are a new person to ciao will be greeted with the same kind of welcome that any other user is, and if you know no-one, it’s the kind of site where you soon will.

Joining up is simple. You register giving an email address and your ciao name, or any other name if you want to be a little anonymous, though I found it helpful to stick to who I am there, because people know me.

OK YOU’RE A MEMBER – what next ?

People say that the front page of Ciaochatting is a little mysterious, that there is too much to discover and it’s a little bit intimidating, although to me, it’s the least intimidating site I have ever used. Yes, there are a lot of things happening on the site and it takes a while to get used to it, but again, take the café scenario. If you walked into a café filled to brimming with your friends, would you know straight away which conversation to join in ? It’s simple. Take your time, make yourself at home, grab a cup of coffee, chill out, and read a few items and see which ones you are interested in, just like in offline conversations with human beings.

THE CHOCOLATE BOX FACTOR

You remember how you react when presented with the most amazing box of chocolates ? Not knowing which to chose first. Well Ciaochatting is a little like that. Press a button on the site and see where it takes you. Just like the chocolates, what you find may not be to your particular taste, though believe me, the chocolate box is overflowing, and I would bet that something there will draw you in. When I started playing games on the site, it was very much the chocolate box factor, and I played most games until I found the ones that I love and want to play more. Two simple postings on the forums, and each new member has the right to play in the arcade, and if you are shy and do not want to talk much to people online, there are easy threads which do not require deep thought, and postings on these sections count as well.

I truly believe that each member should press everything they see on ciao chatting, just to experience what the site has in store for you, because there will be chocolates that leave that wonderful taste that make you want more !! although to each person, that taste is gained from different experiences because we are all human beings.

SECTION FOR NEW PEOPLE

Now Ciaochatting don’t call you newbies for a kick off which is nice. A new person is only highlighted so that members who have been there for a while can guide and show you around the site that they are so proud to belong to. The section for new members explains loads of things about how the site works although a lot of members just muddle through and learn in their own fashion.

RULES

The rules of the site are pretty obvious ones really. They are common sense and just tell you that the way you are expected to behave in a public place, i.e. treat people as you would wish to be treated. Simple as that really.

WHAT THERE IS ON THE SITE

Good grief, this could take an age if I were to put everything into separate categories so I am not going to do that. I am writing about my finding of a super site and what it offers me. My experience of the site is one that makes me keep going back, not because I want to earn points or blue or green or yellow dots, but because it’s a chill out zone, where people can share who they are in so many ways. Writers can join in fiction items, there are personality puzzles and many of the threads are just conversations between members on many subjects. There are fun threads like the Ask a Question thread, where you simply answer the last question posed and then pose another one. Reading through them can be good fun too in a quiet moment, because it teaches you that behind all these people that we read often on Ciao, there are personalities, people we can relate to, people who are funny, loving, giving, mischievous, naughty and in fact who have all the traits we would find so familiar amongst people that are in our real worlds.

I particularly like the fact that we are encouraged to post photos of family and our lives and share them with members, via a personal album. There are journals or diaries of members where we can express thoughts and share them, or keep them privately tucked away for moments of calm when we want to be alone.

The poetry section is thriving, and creative writing actively encouraged on the site, which is nice in between reviewing. Roll playing games are about to become a feature and this will be an interesting one, and already the site has had three murders !!! where members can join in and be characters in the story of a murder.

STRANGE FEATURES

There are a lot of quirks on the site that I like a lot and which are great fun. Points are gained by participating, and if you want to be mischievous, you can for example try and pinch some points from someone else. Sometimes you gain, sometimes you don’t. It is pretty random, but if you fail, you lose some of your reputation points as well which are really nice because reputation on the site is gained through other people either approving or disapproving with what you say.

Messages go backwards and forwards and you are informed by a flashing oblong on the top of the screen if you have any messages.

CAFÉ DOWN THE ROAD

Okay, you say the café down the road has some pretty neat games machines. Well, this gathering place is no different. There are over 30 pages of games that suit anyone from the beginner to the more experienced gamesters, and every so often, the site Admin remember that we are human beings and turn all the high scores back so that idiots like me can have a moment of winning a high score. Fortunately for good players, the all time high score stays on site, but for people like me, it means we can chill out in the arcade and actually win some awards !!! Games range so much and there is a vast range of the old fashioned arcade like games which I love, or more complex ones for minds that want stretching. The games load easily and instructions are clear.

SO WHY WOULD I WRITE ABOUT THIS SITE THREE TIMES !!!

I am fairly new at sites called Forums. I belong to several over the internet, including some of the BBC forums and in the majority, I find that you write a reply to a posting that someone has made which to me is supposed to start a conversation going, and then you wait and it could actually be days before someone answers or even acknowledges your existence. Ciaochatting is different. Moments after you have posted something, someone comes back and joins in and it’s almost as if you are part of a living community of Ciao and Dooyoo users.

One of the nicest things that I like about the site is that the majority of people on the site are heartwarming people that feel the same as I do about belonging somewhere.

There are many forums that have come and gone since I have been on Ciao associated sites, though I believe that this one will last where others failed because people feel very comfortable on site after just a short space of time, and the whole friendliness of the site doesn’t feel false. Of course, you can have heated debate on the site, and I had to laugh at debates we have had because all it showed me is that we’re all inexperienced. We’re all new to it, and just finding out about how a site can work. There’s a shoutbox on page one and frequently members type things in there if they can’t do something that they want to do. I do it too and within moments, my questions are answered.

When I wrote the first review, Ciaochatting was called something else, and that site no longer exists and was taken off the ciao listings, my second attempt was a pretty inexperienced one, though this one I believe is written with more thought and with the belief that amongst the ciao membership, a site like this has its’ place and is working, and will continue to work as long as members want it to, and take part in the experience that has been provided for us members.

TRADING CENTRE

This is a great area, though not fully developed yet as it is relatively new, where members can sell items to other members or simply trade books, or music, or anything and not have to pay anyone extortionate fees. I think that this area will thrive given time.

MY CONCLUSIONS

Ciaochatting made me see the amazing side of amazing people that write regularly on Ciao, the side that isn’t afraid to share itself with other members. The membership is growing all the time, and every time you see a new face, it’s like welcoming a friend, and knowing that the community is thriving and growing.

I believe that the site will not go under because of the membership it has, people who will actually encourage you to bring the best out on site, people that will play games with you (yes, you can challenge other members to all of the arcade games). My experience has been diverse. I talk daily to one member about my thoughts on religion, and another member has adopted me as her online mum. It’s a site where everyone shines and where everyone counts and that to me is what brought me here today to extol its virtues.

I do love this place on the Internet. I have joined, left and joined again because I firmly believe it’s home.

Plus factor to Ciao - I stopped churning !!!!

Thanks for reading.

 

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